I think one of my favourite part about books/reading in general is the community that grows and connects around a piece of writing. I'm always intrigued to find out which books are lining my friends' shelves or traveling around in their backpacks, especially if they're books with which I have a connection. A book in common is an instant bond...
So...what am I reading? Stick around and see....

Friday, August 18, 2006

The Truth About Stories

I love Tom King. He now officially tops this year's list as my most-read author. (Granted, that means I've read three books by him this year, but still...)

I picked this book up two summers ago in a used bookstore in Canmore, AB. I'm not sure what took me so long to read it. I think I've been saving it, like a special bottle of wine, or a fancy new shirt, for that perfect occasion. And I guess that occaision was this past week at the cottage.

I started reading this book on the bus, on my way to pick up a rental car at the airport. I was so engrossed that, when the bus hit a bump and I spilled half of my large Tim Horton's coffee all over myself, I didn't actually put the book down, but rather balanced the paper cup between my knees and used one hand to fish a napkin out of my bag and wipe up the mess, all the while continuing to read. I wasn't even really thinking about it until I looked up and saw that half the bus was staring at me.

By the time I got to the cottage, I had read the first lecture and most of the second. I was very excited about the book and attempted to read the first section to my friends at our evening story hour (yes, we had an evening story hour). I don't think anyone was quite as excited about it as I was, but we did manage to start talking about stories, storytelling, and what exactly it is that makes a story so important, so pivotal.

The book, I should note, is a series of lectures delivered by Tom King in 2003 for the Massey Lectures series.

Lecture 1 (Montreal): “You’ll Never Believe What Happened” is Always a Great Way to StartLecture 2 (St. John’s): You’re Not the Indian I Had in MindLecture 3 (Victoria): Let Me Entertain YouLecture 4 (Calgary): A Million Porcupines Crying in the DarkLecture 5 (Toronto): What Is It About Us That You Don’t Like

I'll add some summary notes on each lecture when I'm a little bit more awake.